"I'm not a mechanical engineer, but I saw a way to increase output of the machine by about 50%, " he says.

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Balloon sinuplasty is the brainchild of Joshua Makower, a 42-year-old inventor who holds a trifecta of degrees: a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from MIT, an M.

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Kaufman has a Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Duke University and an M.

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"It would be nice if you could do that but I'm not sure it would work - it depends whether it is a simple mechanical component or something more complex, " Prof Pillinger, who now works at the Planetary and Space Sciences department at the Open University, told BBC News.

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Ranger, built and programmed in the Biorobotics and Locomotion lab led by Andy Ruina, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, started on the Barton Hall track just after 2 p.m.

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